Religion and culture: Difference between revisions

In some religions, circumcision is a religious mandate and it is marked as such in holy scripture. Some people mistakenly hold the belief that circumcision is a requirement of their religion, even though it may not actually be mentioned in the pertaining holy scripture, or even forbidden by it. This page analyzes different religions and what their holy scriptures actually say in regards to circumcision as a religious requirement.

Of all of the commandments in Judaism, the [[Brit Milah| brit milah]] (literally, [[Abrahamic covenant| Covenant of Circumcision]]) is probably the one most universally observed. It is commonly referred to as a bris (covenant, using the Ashkenazic pronunciation). Even the most secular of Jews, who observe no other part of Judaism, almost always observes this tradition.<ref>{{REFweb

Further, being circumcised is not a condition of being Jewish. Girls do not need to be circumcised to receive the gifts of covenant, i.e., receiving bat-mitzva. A boy is considered to be Jewish if his mother is Jewish from the moment he is born. In fact:

* Jewish boys in countries where routine circumcision is not common, such as Holland, may be left intact and yet remain Jews in good standing.

* In Sweden, 60% of Jewish boys are intact.

* Contrary to popular opinions, an intact boy may have a Bar Mitzvah. As one rabbi simply put it, “We don’t check.”

The Christian Fathers considered the question of circumcision at the [[Council at Jerusalem]] in 49 A. D. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they omitted circumcision from the list of requirements to be Christian.<ref>{{REFweb

The Christian Bible contains two sections. The first section, called the ''Old Testament'' was originally written in Hebrew. It was the Jewish Bible and contains may passages that favor circumcision. This requirement has been abolished for Christians by the New Testament. The second section, called the "New Testament", is the Christian addition to the Holy Bible. It contains the correct information for Christians. Some new or ill-informed Christians may be confused by the differences in the two sections.

Circumcision is erroneously believed to be a good "Christian value" by Christians in different parts of the world, including the United States{{citation needed}], South Korea{{citation needed}}and the Philippines{{citation needed}}.

  |quote=[Among Muslims in Negeri Sembilan, West Malaysia, boys] are usually circumcised when they are about twelve years old.

Intact existence is actually favored by the Qur'an: "We have indeed created man in the 'best of moulds'." (Qur'an 95:4) The idea that Allah has created everything in perfection is repeated in 27:88, 32:7, and 40:64. "Allah is the One who made the Earth a habitat for you, and the sky as a structure, and He designed you, and has perfected your design." "You will not see any flaw in what the Lord of Mercy creates." (Qur'an 67:3)  

There are no guiding books for pagans, but in general, there are a few guiding principals. Mainly, the worship or love of nature in its natural form is a connection between different types of pagans. However, Wicca has a guiding rule called the Rede: "An ye harm none, do as thou wilt." One can certainly see the ritual removal of a functioning part of the human anatomy for no purpose as 'harm,' particularly given the risks involved. Thus, it would be anathema to a pagan who follows the Rede to submit their child to circumcision.